Why 80 percent of leadership is defending your strategy artwork
CEO: Behind the Scenes

Why 80 percent of leadership is defending your strategy

  • S1E34
  • 49:56
  • October 23rd 2025

Most leaders spend their energy defining goals and aligning teams, but Martin U Ripple, Group CEO of ANCA, reveals why the real work begins after that. In this episode, Ripple introduces the DAAD framework and explains why defending your strategy against distractions is where 80 percent of leadership energy should go.

Ripple discusses why the best engineers often make poor managers, how to build a team of respectful contrarians and the Mercedes smart car lesson that shows why real innovation needs its own ecosystem. Packed with insights about pivoting and disruptive thinking, this conversation challenges conventional leadership wisdom.

Listen now to discover why learning to say no might be the most important skill you develop as a leader.

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Website: https://machines.anca.com/

CEO: Behind the Scenes

It's easy to forget that behind the title of CEO lies a human. In CEO Behind the Scenes, a podcast from The CEO Magazine, we want to explore the human behind the company and the figure behind the figurehead role as CEOs share their journeys with us.

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